Mai-Mai II
10
52,49 ft
Beaulieu-sur-Mer, French Riviera (FR)
From
2.500,00 €
Fishing in French Riviera
Known for its captivating scenery, fine cuisine, charming villages and overall Mediterranean way of life, the French Riviera is also a great place to fish.
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Known for its captivating scenery, fine cuisine, charming villages and overall Mediterranean way of life, the French Riviera is also a great place to fish.
Going out on a fishing trip in the French Riviera to come back to port to enjoy a fantastic lunch with extraordinary wine, is uniquely chic.
The climate is moderate nearly year-round and going out on a fishing trip in Menton, Monaco, Nice, Cannes, Saint Tropez, Le Lavandou or Hyères is the best way to discover the Côte d'Azur.
Inshore you can fish for reef fish such as snapper, seabream, jack, scorpion fish and nice predators like dentex, amberjack, seabass and pink dentex. Offshore, from April to October, massive tuna, skipjack and spearfish are caught drifting or trolling.
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Tips & Tricks, bait and more
There is a vast variety of fish species in the French Riviera, ranging from small reef fish to massive offshore pelagic predators. Here are the top fish species from the Côte d'Azur.
TOP SPECIES
Dentex
In the French Riviera, dentex can be found between 0 and 200m deep, with the young closer to the shore and the old out deeper. Dentex feed mainly on fish, crabs, molluscs and their favourite, squid. You can deep trolling with natural bait to catch them. You can fish dentex practically all year, although April and May are usually very good months to catch them.
Bluefin Tuna
Bluefin Tuna (thunnus thynnus) can weigh more than 500kg, making it one of the most prized species by the fishermen involved in fishing in the French Riviera. You can fish them with the trolling technique from April to September or early October, though you can also catch them by chumming in July and August.
Fishing tuna in the French Riviera is a highly spectacular activity, especially catching fish between 20 and 100kg by casting poppers, jigs and other artificials.
Grouper
The grouper fish is perfectly camouflaged to the reefs of the French Riviera, so the best technique to catch them is trolling natural bait (especially with a downrigger) and reef fishing with a live bait. Grouper can be found all year round.
Gilthead Sea Bream
The gilthead sea bream, its french name is dorade, use to come to coastal areas when the waters warm up looking for worms, crabs and molluscs. They like areas with sand and rocks where they use to hide. Gilthead sea bream are a very good eating fish.
Top sport fishing species in French Riviera
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The Amberjack species are a game fish that are found both in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Jigging and live bait fishing are the best techniques to target these magnificent fighters. Greater Amberjack can weigh up to 170 lb (80 kg).
MORE INFO >Amberjack
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Atlantic Bonito (Sarda sarda) is a rapid fish species known for being great hunters. They have striping on their backs with silver-coloured undersides and they grow up to 30 inches long. They have a hydrodynamic body shape, even more so than larger tuna.
MORE INFO >Atlantic Bonito
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The dentex (Dentex dentex) is a common saltwater fish in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and sometimes they appear in the Canary Islands, Morocco and Senegal. They have very strong teeth to feed on fish, squid and mollusca. Dentex are a great species for sportfishing and are targetted mainly trolling or jigging. The larger fish are 1m long and can weigh up to 15 kg (35 lb).
MORE INFO >Dentex
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The the European barracuda (Sphyraena sphyraena) is also known as the Mediterranean barracuda. This predator is common in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. They can grow up to 1,65m and weigh over 3,5kg.
MORE INFO >European Barracuda
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Frigate tuna or frigate mackerel (Auxis thazard) is a smaller tuna species and can be caught in the tropical oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. They are normally caught trolling small lures and feathers. Frigate tuna can grow up to 65 cm (26 in) and weigh up to 2 kg (5lb).
MORE INFO >Frigate tuna
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The White Marlin (Kajikia albida) is a very nice predator which can be caught off shore in warmer waters. This powerful fighter usually feeds during day time on fish, octopuses and squids. They can be caught trolling with artificial lures or with dead bait (bonito, mackerel...).
MORE INFO >White Marlin
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The Little tunny or False Albacore (Euthynnus alletteratus) is easily identified by the dark spots under its pectoral fins. They like warm temperate and tropical waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The larger Little Tunny weigh up to 35lb and can reach 1,2m.
MORE INFO >Little tunny
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The Albacore (Thunnus alalunga) has large eyes and long pectoral fins. This is why this species is also known as longfin tuna. The largest Albacore can reach up to 140 cm (4.6ft) and weigh up to 40 kg (90lb).
MORE INFO >Albacore
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The skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) have a strong body with black stripes on the side. The largest skipjack tuna can reach up to 100 cm (40 inch) and weigh up to 10 kg (22 lb). Skipjack are mainly caught trolling lures.
MORE INFO >Skipjack Tuna
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The blue shark (Prionace glauca) is a migratory, live-bearing shark that feeds mainly on smaller fish and squid. They can be found in all the oceans and sees around the world.
MORE INFO >Blue Shark
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Mahi Mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) are also commonly referred to as dorado, dolphin or dolphinfish. They are recognizable by their bluntly shaped heads, long dorsal fin and their bright colouring, dark blue and green on their dorsal side and yellow on their sides and underside.
MORE INFO >Dorado
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Spearfish (Tetrapturus) are a generic name for several species such as the shortbill spearfish and longbill spearfish. These billfish are found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world: Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean.
MORE INFO >Spearfish
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Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) are probably the most sought after sport fish in the world. They live in the sub-tropical and tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean. Swordfish can grow over 3 meters in length and weigh more than 600 kg (1350lb).
MORE INFO >Swordfish
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Grouper is common name for all the bass-looking-fish from the Epinephelinae Family. This family also includes sea bass by the way. Grouper are colorful predators who like to live in rocky areas, reefs, wrecks where they can hide.
MORE INFO >Grouper
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The common pandora (Pagellus erythrinus) is a type of snapper, common in the Meditarranea Sea, but is also present in the eastern Atlantic coastal areas from Cape Verde to Scandinavia. The biggest pandora can grow up to 50cm (20 inch).
MORE INFO >Common pandora
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The Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is a pelagic fish that can grow up to 500kg (1000lb). The biggest Bluefin Tuna ever caught was 780kg (1496lb). These great fighters can be caught trolling, jigging, casting or drifting; mainly off-shore.
MORE INFO >Bluefin Tuna
FISHING SEASON IN French Riviera
Spring
Offshore trolling and spinning can be practiced from April and May. Using these techniques we can fish bluefin tuna, albacore and little tunny. Drifting or anchored you may catch dentex, grouper, jack, scorpion fish, seabream and snapper on the reef.
Summer
The French Riviera in summer is a good time to fish bluefin tuna by chumming sardines and mackerel for example. This technique can be done offshore. Inshore, life bait fishing in the French Riviera can be done by trolling or drifting using natural baits such as squid, mackerel or horse mackerel.
Autumn
This is an excellent season for inshore trolling with small lures and feathers to fish for various species such as bonito, mackerel, little tunny and dolphin fish.
Winter
The winter is ideal for deep sea fishing and bottom fishing in the French Riviera. With deep sea bottom fishing (using electric reels), you can find a wide range of species such as the largest bream, codling, conger eel, grouper and hake.
Year round
All year round you can go deep sea fishing or reef fishing in the French Riviera, producing all kind of smaller reef fish such as jack, scorpion fish, snapper, sea bream and conger eel.
TOP FISHING TECHNIQUES IN French Riviera
TOURISM & OTHER ACTIVITIES
Visit great places in the French Riviera such as Cannes, Saint Tropez, Monaco and Nice.
LEGISLATION / REGULATIONS
You need a fishing license to fish in fresh water and salt water. The fishing charters in the French Riviera normally have the fishing license included in the price, so you don't need to buy one if you're chartering a boat.
